What IELTS score do you need for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign?

First-year applicants who have not completed at least the most recent three full years of secondary school in an approved English-speaking country must submit TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, IELTS Indicator or Duolingo if they do not report the SAT or ACT, and are strongly encouraged to if they do. Subscores are considered, and applicants with gap years must submit scores. Approved countries include Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK and the mainland US. No first-year minimum is published.

Scores must come from tests taken within two years of enrollment. The TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition is accepted for fall 2027; IELTS One Skill Retake, IELTS General and TOEFL MyBest are not. Transfer applicants must meet the minimums in the table, and Illinois notes that the standard needed for admission will often be "much higher". See general admission policies.

International degree applicants submit TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or Duolingo unless exempt. The table above shows the limited-status and full-status minimums; TOEFL MyBest scores are not accepted, and all scores must be dated within two years of the start of the admission term. Teaching assistants need IELTS Speaking 8 or TOEFL Speaking 5.0 (24 old scale); Duolingo cannot be used for TA eligibility.

You are exempt with a post-secondary degree from the US or an approved country within five years of the admission term, at least two years of post-secondary study there, or at least two years of professional work experience there within five years. Approved countries include Australia, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa and the UK. See the Graduate College page.

The US F-1 student visa sets no English test score of its own. What counts is the requirement Illinois sets for admission, which leads to your Form I-20. For the wider picture of studying in the US with each test, see IELTS for the USA and PTE for the USA.

Requirements change between admission cycles. Check the Illinois Graduate College page again before you book a test, and check your own program page, which can set a higher bar.